Community comes out to cheer on Vashon Lacrosse

It is great to see these athletes progressing as the season goes on.

By Osha Christianson For The Beachcomber • March 29, 2023 1:30 am
Cassidy Poole runs the ball down the field, against Curtis, on March 21 (Brent Poole Photo).
Cassidy Poole runs the ball down the field, against Curtis, on March 21 (Brent Poole Photo).

The season is going great at Vashon Lacrosse.

We have lucked out by having good weather for most of our games, and it is a pleasure to see our community come together for the great game of lacrosse. We have been seeing some ups and downs and are asking everyone that no matter what happens, no matter if someone is at their best or their worst, be kind to all people. On and off the field.

Vashon Lacrosse is working on building our girls’ programs and is thankful for the collaboration with the Parks Department for Monday youth lacrosse drop-in sessions from 5-7 p.m. These sessions are focused on learning sessions for new players in elementary and middle school.

The Valkyries high school girls’ team has had a few games, and these athletes are progressing as the season goes on. We look forward to more home games for the team, later in the season. The Valkyries’ next home game is against Peninsula at Vashon High School at 6 p.m. Monday, April 17.

Shout-out to Maverick Little on the 3-4 team for showing exemplary support for a teammate who was having some pre-game nerves at last week’s game. Mav gave so much encouragement, shared strategies that he uses to get through challenges, and was simply an outstanding teammate. The 3/4 team’s next game is against University Place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 1, at the VES fields by the Harbor School.

Our 5-6 program is a strong mixture of first-year players and veteran players and first-year players learning the Native American game of lacrosse. High school players Ryan Noonan, Davis Rice, and Ben Larson, and high school coach Jimmy Rivas Guitterez have also been coaching and mentoring the fifth- and sixth-grade players. The next 5-6 home game is against Rogers at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 1, at the VES fields by the Harbor School.

A majority of the 7/8 team this year are seventh-graders. Under the guidance of head coach Bret Magdasy and defensive coach Scotty MacLaughlin, the team is learning to effectively communicate on the field on how to work together, how to make the offensive plays for scoring, and the key strategy to having a strong defense. With each game, they play we see them getting better and their hard work in practice paying off.

Shout-out to Ben Larson of the Vultures boys’ high school team. He is an amazing goalie who goes above and beyond, in and out of the box.

It is fantastic to see the synergy of this team develop. The next home game for the Vultures will be against South Kitsap at 7 p.m. Friday, April 7, at the high school.

A special thank you to the fundraising team at Vashon Lacrosse for helping to enrich the Vashon Lacrosse community and for making lacrosse accessible to everyone regardless of barriers.